The Oregon Department of Transportation is showing leadership among state transportation agencies by adopting a new pedestrian and bicycle plan. With a first draft on the street, the early reviews are coming in.

According to a recent newspaper editorial, "Egged on by the hardcore enthusiasts, New York City is spending lots of money, confiscating lots of lane-miles and basing its transportation policy on a fantasy." Who knew white paint is so threatening?

There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.

Resolution 31515, which officially approved the Bicycle Master Plan, is called a “transformational new way of thinking about bicycle projects within Seattle.” Time, and funding, will tell if the plan lives up to its promise.

Cities are, by definition, places where many people and activities locate close together. Their economic success and livability benefits from policies that favor space-efficient modes (walking, cycling, ridesharing and public transit).

For cities that want protected bike lanes but lack the expertise to implement them, the Green Lane Project is soliciting applications to offer technical help (sorry, no funding) now that the initial six recipient cities have implemented cycle tracks.

Can your city afford not to install protected bike lanes? Michael Andersen previews a coming report from the bike lane advocacy organization Green Lane Project and the Alliance for Biking and Walking that shows how such lanes help local businesses.

While Angie Schmitt doesn't ask this question in her article on the movement behind these lanes, she writes that cities without them "are being left behind". They're popular because they effectively address the #1 reason for not riding: safety

The Atlanta City Council approved spending cash from a quality of life bond package to fund several improvements, including $2.5 million in bicycle projects. Among the projects to be funded are the city's first bike boulevard.

Under Mayor Bloomberg's tenure, New York City has made great strides in improving its bicycle infrastructure. But as his final term comes to an end, some fear the next mayor may "end this period of bike-friendly programs and policies."

Before Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was thrown off his bike by a taxi, shattering his elbow in the process, L.A. was known as "a pathologically unfriendly bike city." Two years later, the city has made incredible strides in building its bike culture.

Even for more seasoned bicyclists, cycling in winter can pose many problems. The winter-minded city of Montreal, however, is attempting to improve the condition of winter cycling in an effort to improve the city’s sustainability.

Although Britain's sporting successes make it out to be a nation of cyclists, only 2.2% of Britons use a bike as their main mode of transportation. Peter Walker looks at how a pioneering parliamentary inquiry hopes to get more people on bikes.

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